tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836Thu, 24 May 2018 01:30:12 +0000Press ReleasesPhotos of the DayLakersYoutubeSpace shuttleTransformersMovie reviewsMars Science LaboratoryNew HorizonsHottiesDawnHubble Space TelescopeBatmanExoplanetsCSULBStar Wars trilogyBack in the DayPoliticsKeplerWar on terrorPhoenixMars RoversCassiniInSightRevenge of the SithNFLQuote of the DayMAVENMegan FoxAttack of the Clones24CEVJames Webb Space TelescopeVoyager spacecraftFreedom TowerF-35Academy AwardsLunar Reconnaissance OrbiterL.A. KingsmemesFloridaIron ManOSIRIS-RExSpaceXMars 2020New YorkJunoF-22OlympicsSkydivesSpider-ManThe Force AwakensCalifornia Science CenterPrison BreakTerminatorUSC TrojansKaguyaThe Big Bang TheoryAkatsukiH.A.L.O. JumpIKAROSRosettaThe Phantom MenaceHello From EarthSTS-134USS IowaID4AvatarWacky dreamsDSLRJPL Open HouseNew Year's DayAres I-XDeep ImpactEuropa ClipperHealthAnaheim DucksWilshire Grand CenterDistrict 9GRAILL.A. Convention CenterMESSENGERPixarBahamasHayabusa 2Solar Probe PlusSpaceShipTwoGoogle doodleOrbital Test VehicleSent ForeverGlory missionHell's KitchenJessica AlbaLightsailMasterChefOther SpaceSupernaturalTESSThe Last JediIndiana JonesPacific RimSTS-133The X-FilesHot Import NightsJPL TweetupStardustBad JewsL.A. GalaxySports Wall of FameThe Hurt LockerWatchmenAnaheim Convention CenterAraseBattle Los AngelesCloverfieldGhost storiesInceptionLDSDNASA SocialSMAPTron LegacyAwardsline ScreeningsCaribbean CruiseCarmageddonDeal or No DealDeep Space NetworkJPL lecturesSpoComThe TownZombielandComikazeFormula DriftL.A. Auto ShowPredatorSummer tipsUSS ZumwaltBepiColomboRobonaut 2South ParkThe Last Man on EarthPARMAN'S PAGE: Space News | Sports & Movie Info | JournalA Blog where I share my interest in space exploration, sports news, movie talk and personal eventshttp://parman.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Richard)Blogger2396125ParmansPagehttps://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-5196659285926712413Thu, 24 May 2018 01:29:00 +00002018-05-23T18:30:12.397-07:00InSightPress ReleasesAmerica's Next Mars Lander Officially Sets Course for the Red Planet...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_deep-space_zpsiljiyxot.gif" border="0" width=600 height=338 title="An animated GIF depicting NASA's InSight Mars lander, which is encased in an aeroshell, cruising through deep space." alt="An animated GIF depicting NASA's InSight Mars lander, which is encased in an aeroshell, cruising through deep space." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - CalTech</span></font><br /><br /> <b><i>InSight</i> Steers Toward Mars <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA's <b>InSight</b> lander has made its first course correction toward Mars.<br /><br /> InSight, short for <b>Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport</b>, is the first mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.<br /><br /> The lander is currently encapsulated in a protective aeroshell, which launched on top of an <b>Atlas V 401</b> rocket on May 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. Yesterday, the spacecraft fired its thrusters for the first time to change its flight path. This activity, called a trajectory correction maneuver, will happen a maximum of six times to guide the lander to Mars.<br /><br /> Every launch starts with a rocket. That's necessary to get a spacecraft out past Earth's gravity -- but rockets don't complete the journey to other planets. Before launch, every piece of hardware headed to Mars is cleaned, limiting the number of Earth microbes that might travel on the spacecraft. However, the rocket and its upper stage, called a Centaur, don’t get the same special treatment.<br /><br /> As a result, Mars launches involve aiming the rocket just off-target so that it flies off into space. Separately, the spacecraft performs a series of trajectory correction maneuvers guiding it to the Red Planet. This makes sure that only the clean spacecraft lands on the planet, while the upper stage does not come close.<br /><br /> Precise calculations are required for InSight to arrive at exactly the right spot in Mars' atmosphere at exactly the right time, resulting in a landing on Nov. 26. Every step of the way, a team of navigators estimates the position and velocity of the spacecraft. Then they design maneuvers to deliver it to an entry point at Mars. That navigation team is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which leads the InSight mission.<br /><br /> "This first maneuver is the largest we'll conduct," said Fernando Abilleira of JPL, InSight's Deputy Mission Design and Navigation Manager. "The thrusters will fire for about 40 seconds to impart a velocity change of 3.8 meters per second <i>(8.5 mph)</i> to the spacecraft. That will put us in the right ballpark as we aim for Mars."<br /><br /> Especially at the beginning of that cruise, navigators rely on NASA's Deep Space Network <i>(DSN)</i> to track the spacecraft. The DSN is a system of antennas located at three sites around the Earth. As the planet rotates, each of these sites comes into range of NASA's spacecraft, pinging them with radio signals to track their positions. The antennas also send and receive data this way.<br /><br /> The DSN can give very accurate measurements about spacecraft position and velocity. But predicting where InSight will be after it fires its thrusters requires lots of modeling, Abilleira said. As the cruise to Mars progresses, navigators have more information about the forces acting on a spacecraft. That lets them further refine their models. Combined with DSN tracking measurements, these models allow them to precisely drive the spacecraft to the desired entry point.<br /><br /> "Navigation is all about statistics, probability and uncertainty," Abilleira said. "As we gather more information on the forces acting on the spacecraft, we can better predict how it's moving and how future maneuvers will affect its path."<br /><br /> Yesterday's 40-second burn relies on four of eight thrusters on the spacecraft. A separate group of four is autonomously fired on a daily basis to keep the spacecraft's solar panels trained on the Sun and its antennas pointed at Earth. While necessary to maintain orientation, these small, daily firings also introduce errors that navigators have to account for and counterbalance.<br /><br /> "Everyone has been working hard since launch to assess what these small forces have done to the trajectory," said Allen Halsell of JPL, InSight's navigation team chief. "People have worked lots of hours to look at that. For engineers, it's a very interesting problem, and fun to try to figure out."<br /><br /> When the spacecraft is just a few hours from Mars, the planet's gravitational pull, or gravity well, will begin to reel the spacecraft in. At that point, InSight's team will prepare for the next milestone after cruise: entering Mars' atmosphere, descending to the surface and sticking InSight's landing.<br /><br /> JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/news/2018/insight-steers-toward-mars" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Jet Propulsion Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/americas-next-mars-lander-officially.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-8709837776610702305Mon, 21 May 2018 23:49:00 +00002018-05-21T16:49:20.413-07:00Photos of the DayPress ReleasesSolar Probe PlusPhotos of the Day: Over One Million Names Will Be Headed Towards the Sun...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Parker_plaquechip1_zps73gen4sl.jpg" border=0 title="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018." alt="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font><br /><br /> <b>More Than 1.1 Million Names Installed on NASA’s <i>Parker Solar Probe (News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> Throughout its seven-year mission, NASA’s <b>Parker Solar Probe</b> will swoop through the Sun’s atmosphere 24 times, getting closer to our star than any spacecraft has gone before. The spacecraft will carry more than scientific instruments on this historic journey — it will also hold more than 1.1 million names submitted by the public to go to the Sun.<br /><br /> “Parker Solar Probe is going to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, the only star we can study up close,” said Nicola Fox, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. “It’s fitting that as the mission undertakes one of the most extreme journeys of exploration ever tackled by a human-made object, the spacecraft will also carry along the names of so many people who are cheering it on its way.”<br /><br /> Back in March 2018, the public were invited to send their names to the Sun aboard humanity’s first mission to “touch” a star. A total of 1,137,202 names were submitted and confirmed over the seven-and-a-half-week period, and a memory card containing the names was installed on the spacecraft on May 18, 2018, three months before the scheduled launch on July 31, 2018, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The card was mounted on a plaque bearing a dedication to and a quote from the mission’s namesake, heliophysicist Eugene Parker, who first theorized the existence of the solar wind. This is the first NASA mission to be named for a living individual.<br /><br /> This memory card also carries photos of Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, and a copy of his groundbreaking 1958 scientific paper. Parker proposed a number of concepts about how stars — including our Sun — give off material. He called this cascade of energy and particles the solar wind, a constant outflow of material from the Sun that we now know shapes everything from the habitability of worlds to our solar system’s interaction with the rest of the galaxy.<br /><br /> Parker Solar Probe will explore the Sun’s outer atmosphere and make critical observations to answer decades-old questions about the physics of stars. The resulting data may also improve forecasts of major eruptions on the Sun and subsequent space weather events that impact life on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space.<br /><br /> Though our understanding of the Sun and the solar wind has vastly improved since Parker first theorized the solar wind, there are still questions left unanswered. Two of the most fundamental mysteries – which scientists hope Parker Solar Probe will help solve – are the coronal heating problem and the mechanism behind solar wind acceleration.<br /><br /> The coronal heating problem is what scientists call the apparent mismatch between the temperature of the Sun’s photosphere — the visible “surface,” measuring about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit — and the much higher temperature of the corona — the Sun’s atmosphere, which reaches temperatures of up to 10 million degrees Fahrenheit. Since the Sun’s energy source is at its core, this increase is similar to walking away from a campfire and suddenly feeling a thousand times hotter — completely counterintuitive. This implies that some other process is continually adding more heat to that solar atmosphere.<br /><br /> Scientists think that the mechanism behind this as-yet unexplained heating happens in the lower corona — and Parker Solar Probe will get closer to this region than any spacecraft has before. Getting a closer look at this region should help scientists identify the source of this coronal heating, along with pinpointing the process that accelerates the solar wind to enormous speeds as it leaves the Sun.<br /><br /> A commemorative reproduction of the plaque bearing an identical memory card — minus the submitted names — was presented to Parker at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in October 2017 by the mission team.<br /><br /> "From the experience of seeing the probe up close, I understand now the difficult task you are undertaking, and I am sure you will succeed,” said Parker after visiting the spacecraft in the clean room.<br /><br /> Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living with a Star Program, or LWS, to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. LWS is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Johns Hopkins APL manages the Parker Solar Probe mission for NASA. APL designed and built the spacecraft and will also operate it.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/more-than-11-million-names-installed-on-nasa-s-parker-solar-probe" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>NASA.Gov</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Parker_plaquechip2_zpsazjop4my.jpg" border=0 title="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is about to be attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018." alt="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is about to be attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Parker_plaquechip3_zpswag3qqea.jpg" border=0 title="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018." alt="A plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people is attached to NASA's Parker Solar Probe at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Parker_plaquechip4_zpsfiamamev.jpg" border=0 title="NASA's Parker Solar Probe after a plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people was attached to it at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018." alt="NASA's Parker Solar Probe after a plaque containing a microchip that bears the names of over 1.1 million people was attached to it at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida...on May 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/solar-probe-plus-update-over-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6974055987120282911Fri, 18 May 2018 23:15:00 +00002018-05-18T16:16:08.483-07:00ExoplanetsJames Webb Space TelescopePress ReleasesTESSTESS Update: A Lunar Flyby and an Amazing Test Image of the Centaurus Starfield...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_Moon_zps4lysseg3.jpg" border=0 title="An artist's concept of NASA's TESS spacecraft flying past the Moon for a gravity assist on May 17, 2018." alt="An artist's concept of NASA's TESS spacecraft flying past the Moon for a gravity assist on May 17, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA’s New Planet Hunter Snaps Initial Test Image, Swings by Moon Toward Final Orbit <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA’s next planet hunter, the <b>Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</b> <i>(<b>TESS</b>)</i>, is one step closer to searching for new worlds after successfully completing a lunar flyby on May 17. The spacecraft passed about 5,000 miles from the Moon, which provided a gravity assist that helped TESS sail toward its final working orbit.<br /><br /> As part of camera commissioning, the science team snapped a two-second test exposure using one of the four TESS cameras. The image, centered on the southern constellation Centaurus, reveals more than 200,000 stars. The edge of the Coalsack Nebula is in the right upper corner and the bright star Beta Centauri is visible at the lower left edge. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times as much sky as shown in this image with its four cameras during its initial two-year search for exoplanets. A science-quality image, also referred to as a “first light” image, is expected to be released in June.<br /><br /> TESS will undergo one final thruster burn on May 30 to enter its science orbit around Earth. This highly elliptical orbit will maximize the amount of sky the spacecraft can image, allowing it to continuously monitor large swaths of the sky. TESS is expected to begin science operations in mid-June after reaching this orbit and completing camera calibrations.<br /><br /> Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 18, TESS is the next step in NASA’s search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will observe nearly the entire sky to monitor nearby, bright stars in search of transits — periodic dips in a star’s brightness caused by a planet passing in front of the star. TESS is expected to find thousands of exoplanets. NASA’s upcoming <b>James Webb Space Telescope</b>, scheduled for launch in 2020, will provide important follow-up observations of some of the most promising TESS-discovered exoplanets, allowing scientists to study their atmospheres.<br /><br /> TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, based in Dulles, Virginia; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The TESS science instruments were jointly developed by MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-s-new-planet-hunter-snaps-initial-test-image-swings-by-moon-toward-final-orbit" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>NASA.Gov</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_Centaurus_zpsbhyfaxve.jpg" border=0 title="A test image showing over 200,000 stars in the southern constellation Centaurus...as seen by one of the four science cameras aboard NASA's TESS spacecraft this month." alt="A test image showing over 200,000 stars in the southern constellation Centaurus...as seen by one of the four science cameras aboard NASA's TESS spacecraft this month."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / MIT / TESS</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/tess-update-lunar-flyby-and-amazing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6393522187347908875Thu, 17 May 2018 01:19:00 +00002018-05-18T17:38:13.209-07:00PoliticsThe U.S. Senate Has Voted to Restore Net Neutrality...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Senate_NetNeutrality_zpseqrnqqll.jpg" border=0 title="52 senators who DON'T suck at the teat of major corporations like Verizon and Comcast voted to restore net neutrality here in America...on May 16, 2018." alt="52 senators who DON'T suck at the teat of major corporations like Verizon and Comcast voted to restore net neutrality here in America...on May 16, 2018."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Earlier today,</span></b> every Democrat and three out of the 50 Republicans <i>(two of those three being last year's <a href="https://parman.blogspot.com/2017/07/51-american-heroes-and-3-of-them-are.html" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='28 JULY 2017 Journal Entry'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>healthcare heroes</b></u></font></a> Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski)</i> in the U.S. Senate voted to restore regulations that would prevent Verizon, Comcast and other telecommunications companies from controlling what's posted on the Internet here in America. That's great news! The next step is getting the House to take up a vote on net neutrality ASAP. If Paul Ryan knew what was good for him <i>(his stance on national healthcare <a href="http://parman.blogspot.com/2017/05/dear-republicans-fuck-you.html" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='4 MAY 2017 Journal Entry'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>last year,</b></u></font></a> as well as on <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/18/blow-speaker-ryan-conservatives-torpedo-farm-bill-force-immigration-fore/622984002/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='USA Today article on Paul Ryan setbacks'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>immigration and welfare</b></u></font></a> show that he doesn't)</i>, he would take up a vote on this before his impending and much-anticipated retirement later this year. On the other hand, considering the fact that 94% of the GOP senators prefer to have corporations screw up the World Wide Web as opposed to protecting the rights of millions of Americans who go online 24/7, the vote may not go as people hope in this chamber of Congress.<br /><br /> The key word is <i>hope,</i> and assuming that the House follows the Senate's lead <i>(ditto with Trump if/when the bill hits his desk in the Oval Office)</i>, Congress will have given <a href="https://parman.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-fcc-has-repealed-net-neutrality.html" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='14 DECEMBER 2017 Journal Entry'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>FCC chairman Ajit Pai</b></u></font></a> the middle finger on behalf of millions of U.S. citizens. Happy Hump Day!<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_FCC_Cronie_zps6prluvkr.jpg" border=0 title="Ajit Pai is yet another idiot U.S. government official who needs to be fired in the Trump era." alt="Ajit Pai is yet another idiot U.S. government official who needs to be fired in the Trump era.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-us-senate-has-voted-to-reinstate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-4827059755158001787Wed, 16 May 2018 05:29:00 +00002018-05-17T22:52:58.506-07:00InSightPhotos of the DayPixarPress ReleasesVoyager spacecraftPhotos of the Day: The Earth and the Moon, As Seen from WALL-E One Million Kilometers Away...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_WALL-E_MarcoB01_zps43lws6hz.jpg" border="0" title="An image of Earth and the Moon as seen by the MarCO-B CubeSat, also known as 'WALL-E,' from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away...on May 9, 2018." alt="An image of Earth and the Moon as seen by the MarCO-B CubeSat, also known as 'WALL-E,' from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away...on May 9, 2018." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - Caltech</span></font><br /><br /> <b>A Pale Blue Dot, As Seen by a CubeSat <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA's <b>Voyager 1</b> took a classic portrait of Earth from several billion miles away in 1990. Now a class of tiny, boxy spacecraft, known as CubeSats, have just taken their own version of a "pale blue dot" image, capturing Earth and its Moon in one shot.<br /><br /> NASA set a new distance record for CubeSats on May 8 when a pair of CubeSats called <b>Mars Cube One</b> <i>(<b>MarCO</b>)</i> reached 621,371 miles <i>(1 million kilometers)</i> from Earth. One of the CubeSats, called <b>MarCO-B</b> <i>(and affectionately known as "WALL-E" to the MarCO team)</i> used a fisheye camera to snap its first photo on May 9. That photo is part of the process used by the engineering team to confirm the spacecraft's high-gain antenna has properly unfolded.<br /><br /> As a bonus, it captured Earth and its Moon as tiny specks floating in space.<br /><br /> "Consider it our homage to Voyager," said Andy Klesh, MarCO's chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL built the CubeSats and leads the MarCO mission. "CubeSats have never gone this far into space before, so it's a big milestone. Both our CubeSats are healthy and functioning properly. We're looking forward to seeing them travel even farther."<br /><br /> The MarCO spacecraft are the first CubeSats ever launched to deep space. Most never go beyond Earth orbit; they generally stay below 497 miles <i>(800 kilometers)</i> above the planet. Though they were originally developed to teach university students about satellites, CubeSats are now a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.<br /><br /> The MarCO CubeSats were launched on May 5 along with NASA's <b>InSight</b> lander, a spacecraft that will touch down on Mars and study the planet's deep interior for the first time. InSight, short for <b>Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport</b>, will attempt to land on Mars on Nov. 26. JPL also leads the InSight mission.<br /><br /> Mars landings are notoriously challenging due to the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. The MarCO CubeSats will follow along behind InSight during its cruise to Mars. Should they make it all the way to Mars, they will radio back data about InSight while it enters the atmosphere and descends to the planet's surface. The high-gain antennas are key to that effort; the MarCO team have early confirmation that the antennas have successfully deployed, but will continue to test them in the weeks ahead.<br /><br /> InSight won't rely on the MarCO mission for data relay. That job will fall to NASA's <b>Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter</b>. But the MarCOs could be a pathfinder so that future missions can "bring their own relay" to Mars. They could also demonstrate a number of experimental technologies, including their antennas, radios and propulsion systems, which will allow CubeSats to collect science in the future. Later this month, the MarCOs will attempt the first trajectory correction maneuvers ever performed by CubeSats. This maneuver lets them steer towards Mars, blazing a trail for CubeSats to come.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7124" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Jet Propulsion Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /> <br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_WALL-E_MarcoB02_zpsumkusxa3.jpg" border="0" title="An annotated image of Earth and the Moon as seen by WALL-E from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away...on May 9, 2018." alt="An annotated image of Earth and the Moon as seen by WALL-E from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away...on May 9, 2018." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - Caltech</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/photos-of-day-earth-and-moon-as-seen.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-8745237316313388604Sat, 12 May 2018 18:29:00 +00002018-05-12T23:52:42.457-07:00Bad JewsPoliticsBROOKLYN NINE-NINE and LAST MAN STANDING Just Got a New Lease on (TV) Life!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Brooklyn99_001_zpse0hxhhxo.jpg" border=0 title="Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher), Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) will be back on BROOKLYN NINE-NINE when it airs on NBC next season." alt="Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher), Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) will be back on BROOKLYN NINE-NINE when it airs on NBC next season."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Despite the fact</span></b> that my other favorite TV programs <b>Designated Survivor</b>, <b>Lucifer</b> and <b>The Last Man on Earth</b> will be no more after this season, I'm so glad that <b>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</b> and <b>Last Man Standing</b> <i>(<b>LMS</b>)</i> will be back to grace the boob tube sometime later this year! In regards to Last Man Standing though, <a onmouseover="window.status='LAST MAN STANDING will air on FOX'; return true" href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/more-tv-news/last-man-standing-revived-as-fox-continues-a-big-comedy-pivot/" target="_blank"><span style="color:gray;"><u><b>online reports</b></u></span></a> suggest that two of the sitcom's most hilarious stars, Kaitlyn Dever <i>(Eve Baxter)</i> and Molly Ephraim <i>(Mandy Baxter)</i>, will only make recurring appearances and not be regulars on the show's revival. That's a bummer, though in Ms. Ephraim's case, <i>not</i> a surprise. I've been one of Molly's loyal Twitter followers for over two years now, and her constant tweets and re-tweets of posts attacking Trump <i>(which I have absolutely</i> no <i>problem with)</i> since before the <a href="http://parman.blogspot.com/2016/11/goddamn-it.html" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='9 NOVEMBER 2016 Journal Entry'; return true"><span style="color:gray;"><u><b>2016 presidential election</b></u></span></a> have probably caused her to sour to the thought of being on a show where the main star <i>(Tim Allen, who plays Mike Baxter)</i> is a Trump supporter in real life and on this show. <i>Of course,</i> this is a huge assumption on my part...and Ephraim may surprise and excite LMS fans next week by announcing that she'll be fully aboard with playing Mandy on the sitcom once more. If Molly only decides to appear on LMS sporadically and focus on other projects instead, might I suggest that she does theater again? I attended her play <b>Bad Jews</b> in west Los Angeles <a onmouseover="window.status='19 JUNE 2015 Journal Entry'; return true" href="http://parman.blogspot.com/2015/06/parmans-review-bad-jews.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:gray;"><u><b>almost three years ago,</b></u></span></a> and it was <i>delightful.</i><br /><br /> So <i>yea,</i> I'm really glad that Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Last Man Standing are back...even though the latter might be missing two of its most awesome cast members when it returns. Brooklyn Nine-Nine will air on NBC next year <i>(which will kind of suck for me since I get crappy reception on this channel; my TV is hooked up to an antenna and not to a cable or satellite receiver)</i> after being on FOX for five seasons, while LMS will make its debut on FOX after being on ABC for six seasons. Anyways, lookin' forward to seeing Jake Peralta <i>(Andy Samberg)</i> and Amy Santiago <i>(Melissa Fumero)</i> get married during the Nine-Nine's season finale on May 20—while I can't wait to see what type of anti-liberal comment will be made by Mike Baxter in the LMS Season 7 premiere. Even though I myself am a liberal...but it's all good. <i>Welcome back,</i> Mike! And <i>screw Trump.</i> Have a Happy Mother's Day weekend, everyone!<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_LMS_002_zpsl5raxheq.jpg" border=0 title="Mike (Tim Allen), Vanessa (Nancy Travis) and Mandy Baxter (Molly Ephraim?) will be back on LAST MAN STANDING when it airs on FOX next season." alt="Mike (Tim Allen), Vanessa (Nancy Travis) and Mandy Baxter (Molly Ephraim?) will be back on LAST MAN STANDING when it airs on FOX next season.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/brooklyn-nine-nine-and-last-man.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6420928671429875068Sat, 12 May 2018 01:13:00 +00002018-05-11T22:36:30.012-07:00Mars 2020Press ReleasesYoutubeMars 2020 Update: A Chopper Is Riding With America's Next Rover To The Red Planet...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Mars2020_chopper_zpsipo0b7bk.gif" border=0 width=600 height=338 title="An animated GIF showing the Mars Helicopter fly away from the Mars 2020 rover on the surface of the Red Planet." alt="An animated GIF showing the Mars Helicopter fly away from the Mars 2020 rover on the surface of the Red Planet."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / JPL - CalTech</span></font><br /><br /> <b>Mars Helicopter to Fly on NASA’s Next Red Planet Rover Mission <i>(Press Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars.<br /><br /> The <b>Mars Helicopter</b>, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency’s <b>Mars 2020</b> rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet.<br /><br /> “NASA has a proud history of firsts,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.”<br /><br /> U.S. Rep. John Culberson of Texas echoed Bridenstine’s appreciation of the impact of American firsts on the future of exploration and discovery.<br /><br /> “It’s fitting that the United States of America is the first nation in history to fly the first heavier-than-air craft on another world,” Culberson said. “This exciting and visionary achievement will inspire young people all over the United States to become scientists and engineers, paving the way for even greater discoveries in the future.”<br /><br /> Started in August 2013 as a technology development project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory <i>(JPL)</i>, the Mars Helicopter had to prove that big things could come in small packages. The result of the team’s four years of design, testing and redesign weighs in at little under four pounds <i>(1.8 kilograms)</i>. Its fuselage is about the size of a softball, and its twin, counter-rotating blades will bite into the thin Martian atmosphere at almost 3,000 rpm – about 10 times the rate of a helicopter on Earth.<br /><br /> “Exploring the Red Planet with NASA’s Mars Helicopter exemplifies a successful marriage of science and technology innovation and is a unique opportunity to advance Mars exploration for the future,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. “After the Wright Brothers proved 117 years ago that powered, sustained, and controlled flight was possible here on Earth, another group of American pioneers may prove the same can be done on another world.”<br /><br /> The helicopter also contains built-in capabilities needed for operation at Mars, including solar cells to charge its lithium-ion batteries, and a heating mechanism to keep it warm through the cold Martian nights. But before the helicopter can fly at Mars it has to get there. It will do so attached to the belly pan of the Mars 2020 rover.<br /><br /> “The altitude record for a helicopter flying here on Earth is about 40,000 feet. The atmosphere of Mars is only one percent that of Earth, so when our helicopter is on the Martian surface, it’s already at the Earth equivalent of 100,000 feet up,” said Mimi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. “To make it fly at that low atmospheric density, we had to scrutinize everything, make it as light as possible while being as strong and as powerful as it can possibly be.”<br /><br /> Once the rover is on the planet’s surface, a suitable location will be found to deploy the helicopter down from the vehicle and place it onto the ground. The rover then will be driven away from the helicopter to a safe distance from which it will relay commands. After its batteries are charged and a myriad of tests are performed, controllers on Earth will command the Mars Helicopter to take its first autonomous flight into history.<br /><br /> “We don’t have a pilot and Earth will be several light minutes away, so there is no way to joystick this mission in real time,” said Aung. “Instead, we have an autonomous capability that will be able to receive and interpret commands from the ground, and then fly the mission on its own.”<br /><br /> The full 30-day flight test campaign will include up to five flights of incrementally farther flight distances, up to a few hundred meters, and longer durations as long as 90 seconds, over a period. On its first flight, the helicopter will make a short vertical climb to 10 feet <i>(3 meters)</i>, where it will hover for about 30 seconds.<br /><br /> As a technology demonstration, the Mars Helicopter is considered a high-risk, high-reward project. If it does not work, the Mars 2020 mission will not be impacted. If it does work, helicopters may have a real future as low-flying scouts and aerial vehicles to access locations not reachable by ground travel.<br /><br /> “The ability to see clearly what lies beyond the next hill is crucial for future explorers,” said Zurbuchen. “We already have great views of Mars from the surface as well as from orbit. With the added dimension of a bird’s-eye view from a ‘marscopter,’ we can only imagine what future missions will achieve.”<br /><br /> Mars 2020 will launch on a United Launch Alliance <i>(ULA)</i> <b>Atlas V</b> rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and is expected to reach Mars in February 2021.<br /><br /> The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers. Scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes, and leave them on the planet’s surface for potential return to Earth on a future Mars mission.<br /><br /> The Mars 2020 Project at JPL in Pasadena, California, manages rover development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.<br /><br />****<br /><br /> <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oOMQOqKRWjU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/mars-2020-update-chopper-is-riding-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-7021549921780332929Sun, 06 May 2018 15:39:00 +00002018-05-06T08:40:54.361-07:00InSightPixarPress ReleasesInSight Update #2: "WALL-E" And "EVE" Are En Route To Mars As Well!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_MarCO_CubeSat01_zpseu03iqay.jpg" border="0" title="An artist's concept of the two MarCO CubeSats (nicknamed 'WALL-E' and 'EVE' after the two Disney-Pixar characters, respectively) flying through deep space." alt="An artist's concept of the two MarCO CubeSats (nicknamed 'WALL-E' and 'EVE' after the two Disney-Pixar characters, respectively) flying through deep space." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - Caltech</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA's First Deep-Space CubeSats Say: 'Polo!' <i>(Press Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA has received radio signals indicating that the first-ever CubeSats headed to deep space are alive and well. The first signal was received at 12:15 p.m. PST <i>(3:15 p.m. EST)</i> today; the second at 1:58 p.m. PST <i>(4:58 p.m. EST)</i>. Engineers will now be performing a series of checks before both CubeSats enter their cruise to deep space.<br /><br /> <b>Mars Cube One</b>, or <b>MarCO</b>, is a pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft that launched along with NASA's <b>InSight</b> Mars lander at 4:05 a.m. PDT <i>(7:05 a.m. EDT)</i> today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. InSight is a scientific mission that will probe the Red Planet's deep interior for the first time; the name stands for <b>Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport</b>.<br /><br /> The twin MarCO CubeSats are on their own separate mission: rather than collecting science, they will follow the InSight lander on its cruise to Mars, testing out miniature spacecraft technology along the way.<br /><br /> Both were programmed to unfold their solar panels soon after launch, followed by several opportunities to radio back their health.<br /><br /> "Both MarCO-A and B say 'Polo!' It's a sign that the little sats are alive and well," said Andy Klesh, chief engineer for the MarCO mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which built the twin spacecraft.<br /><br /> The computers inside each MarCO CubeSat haven't been turned on since being tested at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in mid-March, where they were prepared for launch by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine, California. Each spacecraft had to do a lot of things right by itself for the team to hear a signal: batteries had to retain enough charge for the spacecraft to deploy their solar arrays, stabilize their attitude, turn toward the Sun and turn on their radios.<br /><br /> A couple of weeks will be spent assessing how the MarCO CubeSats are performing. If they survive the radiation of space and function as planned, they'll fly over the Red Planet during InSight's entry, descent and landing in November. They each have a special antenna to relay InSight's vital signs during the infamous "Seven Minutes of Terror," the crucial phase which has claimed the majority of humanity's probes sent to land on the Red Planet.<br /><br /> CubeSats are a kind of boxy satellite invented to teach engineering students how to build spacecraft. Today, they offer access to space for private companies and research institutions. They're just one kind of "SmallSat," which includes a broad range organized by weight class. CubeSats are generally under 33 pounds <i>(15 kilograms)</i>, and can weigh as little as about five pounds <i>(2.5 kilograms)</i>. They're distinctively modular, which makes it easier to buy "plug-in" parts rather than custom-design every part of the spacecraft.<br /><br /> NASA is taking the opportunity to test several experimental systems with MarCO. Their radios, folding high-gain antennas, attitude control and propulsion systems are all included to prove new technologies in deep space.<br /><br /> "We're nervous but excited," said Joel Krajewski of JPL, MarCO's project manager. "A lot of work went into designing and testing these components so that they could survive the trip to Mars and relay data during InSight's landing. But our broader goal is to learn more about how to adapt CubeSat technologies for future deep-space missions."<br /><br /> When InSight arrives on Mars in November, it won't rely on MarCO for sending landing data back to Earth. That job will go to NASA's <b>Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter</b>, as well as several Earth-based astronomy telescopes. But the MarCO mission could help prove the potential for CubeSats as a kind of bring-your-own "black box" for future NASA missions.<br /><br /> MarCO was built by JPL, which manages InSight and MarCO for NASA. It was funded by both JPL and NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A number of commercial suppliers provided unique technologies for MarCO.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7115" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Jet Propulsion Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_MarCo-A_deploy_zpsl4utyxp9.jpg" border=0 title="A video graphic using live telemetry data depicts the MarCo-A CubeSat 'WALL-E' deploying from the Centaur upper stage booster over an hour after launch...on May 5, 2018." alt="A video graphic using live telemetry data depicts the MarCo-A CubeSat 'WALL-E' deploying from the Centaur upper stage booster over an hour after launch...on May 5, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA TV / United Launch Alliance</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/insight-update-2-wall-e-and-eva-are-en.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-2960536532799651923Sat, 05 May 2018 21:51:00 +00002018-05-06T08:08:37.530-07:00InSightPress ReleasesAmerica's Newest Mars Lander Is Now En Route to Elysium Planitia on the Red Planet!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_mission001_zpsrx18eofy.jpg" border=0 title="An Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Mars lander launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on May 5, 2018." alt="An Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Mars lander launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on May 5, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Cory Huston</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA, ULA Launch Mission to Study How Mars Was Made <i>(Press Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA’s Mars <b>Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport</b> <i>(<b>InSight</b>)</i> mission is on a 300-million-mile trip to Mars to study for the first time what lies deep beneath the surface of the Red Planet. InSight launched at 7:05 a.m. EDT <i>(4:05 am PDT)</i> Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.<br /><br /> “The United States continues to lead the way to Mars with this next exciting mission to study the Red Planet’s core and geological processes,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I want to congratulate all the teams from NASA and our international partners who made this accomplishment possible. As we continue to gain momentum in our work to send astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, missions like InSight are going to prove invaluable.”<br /><br /> First reports indicate the United Launch Alliance <i>(ULA)</i> <b>Atlas V</b> rocket that carried InSight into space was seen as far south as Carlsbad, California, and as far east as Oracle, Arizona. One person recorded <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiZNN9HFTV0/" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>video of the launch</b></u></span></a> from a private aircraft flying along the California coast.<br /><br /> Riding the Centaur second stage of the rocket, the spacecraft reached orbit 13 minutes and 16 seconds after launch. Seventy-nine minutes later, the Centaur ignited a second time, sending InSight on a trajectory towards the Red Planet. InSight separated from the Centaur 14 minutes later – 93 minutes after launch – and contacted the spacecraft via NASA’s Deep Space Network at 8:41 a.m. EDT <i>(5:41 PDT)</i>.<br /><br /> “The Kennedy Space Center and ULA teams gave us a great ride today and started InSight on our six-and-a-half-month journey to Mars,” said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory <i>(JPL)</i> in Pasadena, California. “We’ve received positive indication the InSight spacecraft is in good health and we are all excited to be going to Mars once again to do groundbreaking science.”<br /><br /> With its successful launch, NASA’s InSight team now is focusing on the six-month voyage. During the cruise phase of the mission, engineers will check out the spacecraft’s subsystems and science instruments, making sure its solar arrays and antenna are oriented properly, tracking its trajectory and performing maneuvers to keep it on course.<br /><br /> InSight is scheduled to land on the Red Planet around 3 p.m. EST Nov. 26, where it will conduct science operations until Nov. 24, 2020, which equates to one year and 40 days on Mars, or nearly two Earth years.<br /><br /> “Scientists have been dreaming about doing seismology on Mars for years. In my case, I had that dream 40 years ago as a graduate student, and now that shared dream has been lofted through the clouds and into reality,” said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at JPL.<br /><br /> The InSight lander will probe and collect data on marsquakes, heat flow from the planet’s interior and the way the planet wobbles, to help scientists understand what makes Mars tick and the processes that shaped the four rocky planets of our inner solar system.<br /><br /> “InSight will not only teach us about Mars, it will enhance our understanding of formation of other rocky worlds like Earth and the Moon, and thousands of planets around other stars,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. "InSight connects science and technology with a diverse team of JPL-led international and commercial partners."<br /><br /> Previous missions to Mars investigated the surface history of the Red Planet by examining features like canyons, volcanoes, rocks and soil, but no one has attempted to investigate the planet's earliest evolution, which can only be found by looking far below the surface.<br /><br /> “InSight will help us unlock the mysteries of Mars in a new way, by not just studying the surface of the planet, but by looking deep inside to help us learn about the earliest building blocks of the planet,” said JPL Director Michael Watkins.<br /><br /> JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis, and launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA's launch service provider.<br /><br /> A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales <i>(CNES)</i> and the German Aerospace Center <i>(DLR)</i>, are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure <i>(SEIS)</i> instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research <i>(MPS)</i> in Göttingen, Germany. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package <i>(HP3)</i> instrument.<br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_mission002_zpsbkywcnhz.jpg" border=0 title="A video graphic using live telemetry data depicts NASA's InSight Mars lander separating from its Centaur upper stage booster over an hour after launch...on May 5, 2018." alt="A video graphic using live telemetry data depicts NASA's InSight Mars lander separating from its Centaur upper stage booster over an hour after launch...on May 5, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA TV / United Launch Alliance</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_mission003_zps601j0rkq.jpg" border=0 title="A red arrow denotes the location of two microchips bearing the names of 2.4 million people (including Yours Truly) on the deck of NASA's InSight Mars lander." alt="A red arrow denotes the location of two microchips bearing the names of 2.4 million people (including Yours Truly) on the deck of NASA's InSight Mars lander."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_mission004_zpsgpwq1htz.jpg" border=0 title="My participation certificate for NASA's InSight Mars mission." alt="My participation certificate for NASA's InSight Mars mission.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/insight-update-americas-newest-mars.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-486272818055824803Fri, 04 May 2018 06:37:00 +00002018-05-03T23:39:00.033-07:00InSightPress ReleasesInSight Update: T-Minus 2 Days Till Launch!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_art2017_zpsdzwegioy.jpg" border="0" title="An artist's concept of NASA's InSight lander on the surface of Mars." alt="An artist's concept of NASA's InSight lander on the surface of Mars." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA's First Mission to Study the Interior of Mars Awaits May 5 Launch <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> All systems are go for NASA's next launch to the Red Planet.<br /><br /> The early-morning liftoff on Saturday of the Mars <b>InSight</b> lander will mark the first time in history an interplanetary launch will originate from the West Coast. InSight will launch from the U.S. Air Force Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 3E. The two-hour launch window will open on May 5 at 4:05 a.m. PDT <i>(7:05 a.m. EDT)</i>.<br /><br /> InSight, for <b>Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport</b>, will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance <i>(ULA)</i> <b>Atlas V</b> rocket. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all rocky planets formed, including Earth and its Moon. The lander's instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes, and a probe that will monitor the flow of heat from the planet's interior.<br /><br /> The ULA rocket will carry the spacecraft over the Channel Islands just off the California Coast and continue climbing out over the Pacific, shadowing the coastline south beyond Baja California. InSight's Atlas will reach orbit about 13 minutes after launch, when the rocket is about 1,200 miles <i>(1,900 kilometers)</i> northwest of Isabella Island, Ecuador.<br /><br /> "For those Southern Californians who are interested in rockets or space exploration, or have insomnia, we hope to put on a great show this Saturday," said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "But for those who want to sleep in on Saturday, there will be another opportunity to engage with this historic mission. We will be landing on Mars in the western Elysium Planitia region on Monday, Nov. 26, around noon Pacific time. You will be able to watch a live stream of this landing while working on your holiday shopping."<br /><br /> Getting a Mars mission flying requires a great many milestones. Among those still to come are the official start of the countdown to launch -- which comes on Friday, May 4 at 10:14 p.m. PDT <i>(Saturday, May 5, 1:14 a.m. EDT)</i>. A little over an hour later, at about 11:30 p.m. PDT <i>(May 5, 2:30 a.m. EDT)</i>, the 260-foot-tall <i>(80-meter)</i> Mobile Service Tower -- a structure that has been protecting the Atlas V launch vehicle and its InSight payload during their vertical assembly -- will begin a 20-minute long, 250-foot <i>(about 80-meter)</i> roll away from the Atlas. Four hours and 25 minutes later, the launch window will open.<br /><br /> "I've been to several rocket launches, but it is a whole different vibe when there is something you've been working on for years sitting in the nose cone waiting to get hurled beyond our atmosphere," said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at JPL. "But as exciting as launch day will be, it's just a first step in a journey that should tell us not only why Mars formed the way it did, but how planets take shape in general."<br /><br /> InSight's launch period is May 5 through June 8, 2018, with multiple launch opportunities over windows of approximately two hours each date. Launch opportunities are set five minutes apart during each date's window. Whichever date the launch occurs, InSight's landing on Mars is planned for Nov. 26, 2018, around noon PST <i>(3 p.m. EST)</i>.<br /><br /> JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA's launch service provider of the Atlas 5 rocket. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales <i>(CNES)</i> and the German Aerospace Center <i>(DLR)</i>, are supporting the InSight mission. In particular, CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure <i>(SEIS)</i> instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar Systems Research <i>(MPS)</i>. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package <i>(HP3)</i> instrument.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7113" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Jet Propulsion Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/insight-update-t-minus-2-days-till.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-3907021681498555821Wed, 02 May 2018 20:09:00 +00002018-05-04T19:19:53.012-07:00ID4Prison BreakThe Big Bang TheoryLA to Vegas...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_LAtoVegas_001_zpskuwxpasx.jpg" border=0 title="The cast of FOX TV's LA TO VEGAS." alt="The cast of FOX TV's LA TO VEGAS."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">So what's the word</span></b> on this show's chances of being renewed for a second season? I watched the season <i>(hopefully not series)</i> finale of <b>LA to Vegas</b> yesterday, and needless to say, I wanna see more wacky exploits by these <b>Jackpot Airline</b> <i>(</i>no, <i>it's not a real airline)</i> employees. It's hilarious to see Peter Stormare <i>(of <b>Armageddon</b>, <b>Prison Break</b> and <b>John Wick 2</b> fame)</i> once again sporting a Russian accent but not being a homicidal criminal on this sitcom. And ditto with Dylan McDermott—who went from being a traitorous former Secret Service agent in the 2013 film <b>Olympus Has Fallen</b> to playing Jackpot Airlines' goofy pilot Captain Dave. Olivia Macklin is Nichole...a beautiful Vegas stripper with a heart of gold <i>(like Vivica A. Fox in 1996's <b>Independence Day</b>)</i>, while Kim Matula and Nathan Lee Graham portray Ronnie and Bernard, the crazy duo who keep life aboard their Jackpot airliner from descending into chaos during the flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and vice versa. And to round out the cast: Amir Talai plays Captain Dave's bumbling co-pilot Alan, and Ed Weeks portrays Colin; a divorced father of one who should finally get things goin' with Ronnie if LA to Vegas sees another season.<br /><br /> So <i>yea,</i> while LA to Vegas has ways to go before it replaces <b>The Big Bang Theory</b> as my all-time favorite sitcom <i>(unless TBBT</i> does <i>end after Season 12 as rumored)</i>, it's a hilarious TV show that I try not to miss on Tuesday nights. I might also be biased here; I worked as a background actor on the show at Fox Studios last fall! You can see me as the blur wearing a dark-gray short-sleeved shirt and jeans <i>(and carrying that large black bag)</i> in the screenshots below. They're from episode 1.5: <i>The Fellowship of the Bear</i>, which aired on February 6. Anyways, did I mention that Nichole is so beautiful? Just thought I'd say it again. Happy Hump Day.<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_LAtoVegas_002_zpsoawvcnlu.jpg" border=0 title="You can see me as a blur (near the left edge of the frame) in this screenshot from LA TO VEGAS: Episode 1.5 - 'The Fellowship of the Bear.'" alt="You can see me as a blur (near the left edge of the frame) in this screenshot from LA TO VEGAS: Episode 1.5 - 'The Fellowship of the Bear.'"><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_LAtoVegas_003_zpscqkvqoly.jpg" border=0 title="You can also see me as a blur (near the left edge of the frame, again) in this screenshot from LA TO VEGAS: Episode 1.5 - 'The Fellowship of the Bear.'" alt="You can also see me as a blur (near the left edge of the frame, again) in this screenshot from LA TO VEGAS: Episode 1.5 - 'The Fellowship of the Bear.'">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/la-to-vegas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-2216316897332311364Tue, 01 May 2018 16:13:00 +00002018-05-01T09:13:11.030-07:00DSLRPhotos of the DayPhotos of the Day: A Hawk on the Rooftop...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof01_zpsk9dq1ebi.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018." alt="A snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Just thought I'd begin</span></b> this month by posting these photos that I took of a hawk perched on the rooftop of my neighbor's house last Saturday evening. Such a majestic bird <i>(of prey)</i>. These pics would've been <i>a bit</i> more interesting if the hawk <i>actually</i> responded to the northern mockingbird that was trying to get it to leave. Prey vs. predator... Let's see Mother Nature in action!<br /><br /> These images were taken with my Nikon D3300 DSLR camera. That is all.<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof02_zpsatyaucza.jpg" border=0 title="Another snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018." alt="Another snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof03_zpspvhxuul6.jpg" border=0 title="Another snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018." alt="Another snapshot of a hawk perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof04_zpsv6egcbzi.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the hawk with a northern mockingbird perched next to it atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the hawk with a northern mockingbird perched next to it atop the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof05_zpsj1vd6rjp.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the hawk as it watches the northern mockingbird fly away from the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the hawk as it watches the northern mockingbird fly away from the roof of my neighbor's house...on April 28, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_hawk_roof06_zpsvkauu329.jpg" border=0 title="The hawk remains perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house as the northern mockingbird flies next to it...on April 28, 2018." alt="The hawk remains perched atop the roof of my neighbor's house as the northern mockingbird flies next to it...on April 28, 2018.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/05/photos-of-day-hawk-on-rooftop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6297344652210332271Tue, 01 May 2018 02:11:00 +00002018-04-30T19:11:15.224-07:00Photos of the DayPhotos of the Day: Giada at The Grove...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing001_zpstavrgi1t.jpg" border=0 title="Food connoisseur Giada De Laurentiis arrives at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles to conduct a discussion and signing of her new publication GIADA'S ITALY...on April 24, 2018." alt="Food connoisseur Giada De Laurentiis arrives at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles to conduct a discussion and signing of her new publication GIADA'S ITALY...on April 24, 2018."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Last Tuesday,</span></b> I went to <i>The Grove</i> near Beverly Hills to attend a discussion and book signing by Giada De Laurentiis...the food connoisseur who writes, owns a few restaurants and also hosted her own TV show, <b>Giada at Home</b>, on the Food Network. Laurentiis was so nice and outgoing in person! During a discussion of her newest publication <i>Giada's Italy</i>, she also answered questions by attendees about such things as to whether her young daughter Jade wanted to be a chef like her <i>[she doesn't, but Jade enjoys cooking and likes holding a knife in her hand to chop things (it was a lot funnier when her mom explained it)]</i>, and why Giada doesn't write cocktail books <i>(they don't sell as well as regular cookbooks do)</i>. Laurentiis also answered a fan's question about what was the best place to visit in Italy <i>(I forgot what she said)</i>, and that the best Italian restaurant to dine at in New York City is <i>Antica Pesa</i>. Very cool.<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing002_zpsatj1irt5.jpg" border=0 title="Giada De Laurentiis discusses her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018." alt="Giada De Laurentiis discusses her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018."><br /><br /> There are <i>so many</i> enticing recipes in Giada's Italy. Crab arancini. Pappa al pomodoro. Positano pizzas. Creamy sweet corn with pancetta. <i>Lots</i> of dishes in Laurentiis' book that I wanna grub on. Of course, I'd have to be careful with the ones whose ingredients may be high in oxalate <i>(this is Italian food, so</i> that's <i>gonna be challenging)</i>— Lousy kidney stone issue. <i>Anyways,</i> this is my Blog entry to end the month of April on... Happy Monday!<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing003_zpsiuadfhh9.jpg" border=0 title="Giada De Laurentiis begins signing her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018." alt="Giada De Laurentiis begins signing her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing004_zpscfbgwdne.jpg" border=0 title="Giada De Laurentiis mingles with another fan during the signing of her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018." alt="Giada De Laurentiis mingles with another fan during the signing of her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing005_zps31vtgj5q.jpg" border=0 title="Giada De Laurentiis poses for the camera while signing my copy of her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018." alt="Giada De Laurentiis poses for the camera while signing my copy of her new book GIADA'S ITALY at The Grove's Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles...on April 24, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_GDL_signing006_zpsdhyeiqfy.jpg" border=0 title="My autographed copy of Giada De Laurentiis' book GIADA'S ITALY." alt="My autographed copy of Giada De Laurentiis' book GIADA'S ITALY.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/photos-of-day-giada-at-grove.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-8178474701991426203Mon, 30 Apr 2018 02:03:00 +00002018-04-29T19:04:29.285-07:00Back in the DayH.A.L.O. JumpPhotos of the DaySkydivesBack in the Day: My HALO Tandem Skydive...<center><b><i>"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."</i></b><br>-Leonardo da Vinci<br></center><br> <img title="Soaring about 30,000 feet above Whiteville, Tennessee, on April 29, 2013." alt="Soaring about 30,000 feet above Whiteville, Tennessee, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_001_zpswot2mhzx.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <b><span style="color: yellow;">Five years ago today,</span></b> I conducted a HALO jump above Whiteville, Tennessee...from an altitude of 29,190 feet. Here are a couple of photos from my webpage that's devoted to this awesome jump; you can check out the rest of the images in the link provided below. Chances are I'll re-post these pics again in 2023—to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of my HALO tandem skydive! Carry on.<br /><br /> LINK: <a onmouseover="window.status='2013 H.A.L.O. Tandem Skydive'; return true" href="http://www.rich-parno.com/aa_2013HALO.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:red;"><u><b>Click here for more images from my HALO tandem skydive</b></u></span></a><br /><br /> <img title="Getting seated as the Super King Air gets ready to take off for my HALO tandem skydive, on April 29, 2013." alt="Getting seated as the Super King Air gets ready to take off for my HALO tandem skydive, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_002_zpsrsyb7tvg.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="Waiting for the Super King Air to reach 30,000 feet, on April 29, 2013." alt="Waiting for the Super King Air to reach 30,000 feet, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_003_zpsczm2tdlv.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="The free fall as seen from a GoPro camera attached to my left glove, on April 29, 2013." alt="The free fall as seen from a GoPro camera attached to my left glove, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_004_zpsamvlejdl.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="Staring at my left GoPro camera after the parachute opens, on April 29, 2013." alt="Staring at my left GoPro camera after the parachute opens, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_005_zpspufmmri1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="Coming in for a landing at the West Tennessee Skydiving drop zone, on April 29, 2013." alt="Coming in for a landing at the West Tennessee Skydiving drop zone, on April 29, 2013." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_006_zpslio5kdta.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="Touchdown at the West Tennessee Skydiving drop zone, on April 29, 2013!" alt="Touchdown at the West Tennessee Skydiving drop zone, on April 29, 2013!" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_007_zpshxojpaof.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <img title="My HALO Jump certificate." alt="My HALO Jump certificate." src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_HALO2013_008_zpsyqwfrkur.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /> <center><b><i>"Sometimes you have to go up so high to realize just how small you really are."</i></b><br>-Felix Baumgartner <i>(October 14, 2012)</i><br></center>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/back-in-day-my-halo-tandem-skydive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-3809617858919895646Sat, 28 Apr 2018 18:55:00 +00002018-04-29T09:04:09.033-07:00InSightPhotos of the DayInSight Update: T-Minus 1 Week Till Launch!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_001_zps2uw5yt8w.jpg" border=1 title="The heat shield is about to be attached to NASA's InSight Mars lander's aeroshell prior to being encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing...at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on April 12, 2018." alt="The heat shield is about to be attached to NASA's InSight Mars lander's aeroshell prior to being encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing...at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on April 12, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing / Aaron Taubman</span></font><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Just thought I'd share</span></b> these pics of NASA's <b>InSight</b> Mars lander as it was recently encapsulated by the payload fairing of the <b>Atlas V</b> rocket that will send it to the Red Planet on May 5 <i>(at 4:05 AM, Pacific Daylight Time)</i>. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get up hours before dawn and watch the launch on NASA TV <i>(for full coverage of lift-off through spacecraft separation)</i>, or drive to a local park and see if I can spot the rocket soaring into space from Los Angeles County. In case you're wondering, InSight will be the first interplanetary spacecraft to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base 100+ miles from where I live here in Southern California...as opposed to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Awesome.<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_002_zpsf5lzlccr.jpg" border=1 title="NASA's InSight Mars lander is about to be encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 16, 2018." alt="NASA's InSight Mars lander is about to be encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 16, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_003_zpsdgrzwmml.jpg" border=1 title="NASA's InSight Mars lander is about to be encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 16, 2018." alt="NASA's InSight Mars lander is about to be encapsulated by the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 16, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_004_zpsomf8uckq.jpg" border=1 title="The Atlas V payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is transported to Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 23, 2018." alt="The Atlas V payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is transported to Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 23, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing / Daniel Herrera</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_005_zpsh7rmkrop.jpg" border=1 title="The Atlas V payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is transported to Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 23, 2018." alt="The Atlas V payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is transported to Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...on April 23, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing / Leif Heimbold</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_InSight_AtlasV_006_zpsv6ckux1e.jpg" border=1 title="The payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is attached to its Atlas V rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 3 in California...on April 23, 2018." alt="The payload fairing that enshrouds NASA's InSight Mars lander is attached to its Atlas V rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 3 in California...on April 23, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">USAF 30th Space Wing / Leif Heimbold</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/insight-update-t-minus-1-week-till.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-560954168476736428Sat, 21 Apr 2018 22:47:00 +00002018-04-21T22:07:56.237-07:00Caribbean CruiseDSLRPhotos of the DayPhotos of the Day: A Brief Visit to Mexico...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_001_zpsqpiaksju.jpg" border=0 title="Walking towards the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018." alt="Walking towards the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Just thought I'd share</span></b> these pics that I took one month ago today...when the ship I traveled on during an 11-day cruise, the <b>Norwegian Jade</b>, made a 7 to 8-hour stop at Costa Maya on the eastern coast of Mexico. I took these images before and after I visited the Mayan ruins in Chacchoben on the same day <i>(you can see the photos in the link below)</i>. Costa Maya was the sixth and final port that the Norwegian Jade docked at before we returned to Miami on March 23. As you can see, this is a beautiful locale... Cancun is a 4 to 5-hour trip from this resort. <i>(I have no intention of going to Cancun.)</i> Hope y'all are having a great weekend!<br /><br /> <b><u>PS</u>:</b> Six of these ten photos were taken with my Nikon D3300 DSLR camera. Guess which ones?<br /><br /> LINK: <a onmouseover="window.status='PHOTOS OF MY CRUISE TO CENTRAL AMERICA'; return true" href="http://www.rich-parno.com/aa_cruise01.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:red;"><u><b>Additional photos I took on my cruise to Central America</b></u></span></a><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_002_zpsdcbv8zsz.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_003_zpsx3e6nroy.jpg" border=0 title="Walking through the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018." alt="Walking through the resort at Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_004_zps8xxce9cy.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the pristine water off the shore of Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the pristine water off the shore of Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_005_zps7akjpteu.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the Norwegian Jade (at left) and her sister ship, the Norwegian Dawn, from the shore of Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the Norwegian Jade (at left) and her sister ship, the Norwegian Dawn, from the shore of Costa Maya, Mexico, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_006_zps0dz5zwua.jpg" border=0 title="Posing with the Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Dawn behind me on March 21, 2018." alt="Posing with the Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Dawn behind me on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_007_zpsz7zbedms.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the Costa Maya shoreline as I walked back to the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the Costa Maya shoreline as I walked back to the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_008_zpsk5kbdif5.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the Norwegian Dawn and Costa Maya resort from Deck 12 of the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the Norwegian Dawn and Costa Maya resort from Deck 12 of the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_009_zpsc1lxzeqf.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the Costa Maya resort from inside the Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 13 of the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of the Costa Maya resort from inside the Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 13 of the Norwegian Jade, on March 21, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_CostaMaya_010_zpsvpgecvcm.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of Costa Maya's coastline and Norwegian Jade's bow from inside the Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 13 of the ship, on March 21, 2018." alt="A snapshot of Costa Maya's coastline and Norwegian Jade's bow from inside the Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 13 of the ship, on March 21, 2018.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/photos-of-day-visit-to-mexico.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-9156050864227745073Fri, 20 Apr 2018 03:35:00 +00002018-04-22T08:54:02.649-07:00CassiniInSightPixarPress ReleasesVoyager spacecraftInSight Update: The Mars Lander's Two Rideshare Partners Will Soon Be Ready for Launch...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_MarCO_CubeSat01_zpseu03iqay.jpg" border="0" title="An artist's concept of the two MarCO CubeSats flying through deep space." alt="An artist's concept of the two MarCO CubeSats flying through deep space." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - Caltech</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA Engineers Dream Big with Small Spacecraft <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> Many of NASA's most iconic spacecraft towered over the engineers who built them: think <b>Voyagers 1</b> and <b>2</b>, <b>Cassini</b> or <b>Galileo</b> -- all large machines that could measure up to a school bus.<br /><br /> But in the past two decades, mini-satellites called CubeSats have made space accessible to a new generation. These briefcase-sized boxes are more focused in their abilities and have a fraction of the mass -- and cost -- of some past titans of space.<br /><br /> In May, engineers will be watching closely as NASA launches its first pair of CubeSats designed for deep space. The twin spacecraft are called <b>Mars Cube One</b>, or <b>MarCO</b>, and were built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.<br /><br /> Both MarCO spacecraft will be hitching a ride on the same rocket launching <b>InSight</b>, NASA's next robotic lander headed for Mars. The MarCOs are intended to follow InSight on its cruise through space; if they survive the journey, each is equipped with a folding high-gain antenna to relay data about InSight as it enters the Martian atmosphere and lands.<br /><br /> The MarCOs won't produce any science of their own, and aren't required for InSight to send its data back home <i>(the lander will rely on NASA's Mars orbiters for that, in addition to communicating directly with antennas on Earth)</i>. But the twins will be a crucial first test of CubeSat technology beyond Earth orbit, demonstrating how they could be used to further explore the solar system.<br /><br /> "These are our scouts," said Andy Klesh of JPL, MarCO's chief engineer. "CubeSats haven't had to survive the intense radiation of a trip to deep space before, or use propulsion to point their way towards Mars. We hope to blaze that trail."<br /><br /> The official names of these two scouts are <b>"MarCO-A"</b> and <b>"MarCO-B."</b> But to the team that built them, they're "<b>Wall-E</b>" and "Eva" -- nicknames based on Pixar characters. Both MarCOs use a compressed gas commonly found in fire extinguishers to push themselves through space, the same way Wall-E did in his 2008 film.<br /><br /> Survival is far from guaranteed. As the saying goes: space is hard. The first challenge will be switching on. The MarCO batteries were last checked in March by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine, California, which inserted each CubeSat into a special dispenser that will propel it into space. Those batteries will be used to deploy each CubeSat's solar arrays, with the hope that enough power will be left over to turn on their radios. If power is too low, the MarCO team may hear silence until each spacecraft is more fully charged.<br /><br /> If both MarCOs make the journey, they'll test a method of communications relay that could act as a "black box" for future Mars landings, helping engineers understand the difficult process of getting spacecraft to safely touch down on the Red Planet. Mars landings are notoriously hard to stick.<br /><br /> The MarCOs could also prove that CubeSats are ready to go beyond Earth. CubeSats were first developed to teach university students about satellites. Today, they're a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.<br /><br /> NASA scientists are eager to explore the solar system using CubeSats. JPL even has its own CubeSat clean room, where several flight projects have been built, including the MarCOs. For young engineers, the thrill is building something that could potentially reach Mars in just a matter of years rather than a decade.<br /><br /> "We're a small team, so everyone gets experience working on multiple parts of the spacecraft," Klesh said. "You learn everything about building, testing and flying along the way. We're inventing every day at this point."<br /><br /> The MarCOs were built by JPL, which manages InSight and MarCO for NASA. They were funded by both JPL and NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A number of commercial suppliers provided unique technologies for the MarCOs.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7101" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Jet Propulsion Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_MarCO_CubeSat02_zpshtyechi5.jpg" border="0" title="NASA engineer Joel Steinkraus uses sunlight to test the solar arrays on one of the MarCO spacecraft at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California." alt="NASA engineer Joel Steinkraus uses sunlight to test the solar arrays on one of the MarCO spacecraft at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California." /><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">NASA / JPL - Caltech</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/insight-update-mars-landers-rideshare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-7692720747708665664Thu, 19 Apr 2018 06:37:00 +00002018-04-20T15:53:17.106-07:00ExoplanetsJames Webb Space TelescopeKeplerPress ReleasesTESSTESS Begins Its Historic Quest to Search for Thousands of New Alien Worlds Beyond Our Solar System...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_launch_zps4blwd7kd.jpg" border=0 title="A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...on April 18, 2018." alt="A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...on April 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">SpaceX</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA Planet Hunter on Its Way to Orbit <i>(Press Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA’s <b>Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</b> <i>(<b>TESS</b>)</i> has launched on the first-of-its-kind mission to find worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.<br /><br /> TESS, which is expected to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT Wednesday on a SpaceX <b>Falcon 9</b> rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At 7:53 p.m., the twin solar arrays that will power the spacecraft successfully deployed.<br /><br /> “We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “With missions like the <b>James Webb Space Telescope</b> to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe.”<br /><br /> Over the course of several weeks, TESS will use six thruster burns to travel in a series of progressively elongated orbits to reach the Moon, which will provide a gravitational assist so that TESS can transfer into its 13.7-day final science orbit around Earth. After approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing, the spacecraft will begin its work.<br /><br /> “One critical piece for the science return of TESS is the high data rate associated with its orbit,” said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s <i>(MIT)</i> Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in Cambridge. “Each time the spacecraft passes close to Earth, it will transmit full-frame images taken with the cameras. That’s one of the unique things TESS brings that was not possible before.”<br /><br /> For this two-year survey mission, scientists divided the sky into 26 sectors. TESS will use four unique wide-field cameras to map 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky during its first year of observations and 13 sectors of the northern sky during the second year, altogether covering 85 percent of the sky.<br /><br /> TESS will be watching for phenomena called transits. A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its star from the observer’s perspective, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star’s brightness. More than 78 percent of the approximately 3,700 confirmed exoplanets have been found using transits.<br /><br /> NASA’s <b>Kepler</b> spacecraft found more than 2,600 exoplanets, most orbiting faint stars between 300 and 3,000 light-years from Earth, using this same method of watching for transits. TESS will focus on stars between 30 and 300 light-years away and 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler’s targets.<br /><br /> The brightness of these target stars will allow researchers to use spectroscopy, the study of the absorption and emission of light, to determine a planet’s mass, density and atmospheric composition. Water, and other key molecules, in its atmosphere can give us hints about a planets’ capacity to harbor life.<br /><br /> “The targets TESS finds are going to be fantastic subjects for research for decades to come,” said Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s the beginning of a new era of exoplanet research.”<br /><br /> Through the TESS Guest Investigator Program, the worldwide scientific community will be able to conduct research beyond TESS’s core mission in areas ranging from exoplanet characterization to stellar astrophysics, distant galaxies and solar system science.<br /><br /> TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS’s four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.<br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Falcon9_landing_zpsixqp8pou.jpg" border=0 title="Landing legs are deployed on the Falcon 9's first stage booster after returning to Earth following the launch of NASA's TESS spacecraft on April 18, 2018...in this footage taken by an onboard camera." alt="Landing legs are deployed on the Falcon 9's first stage booster after returning to Earth following the launch of NASA's TESS spacecraft on April 18, 2018...in this footage taken by an onboard camera."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">SpaceX</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_deploy_zpskf0txvzf.jpg" border=0 title="A camera aboard the Falcon 9's second stage motor captures this footage of NASA's TESS spacecraft separating from the booster about an hour after launch...on April 18, 2018." alt="A camera aboard the Falcon 9's second stage motor captures this footage of NASA's TESS spacecraft separating from the booster about an hour after launch...on April 18, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">SpaceX</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_memory-card1_zpspsyw9ycd.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of a memory card that carries the exoplanet drawings of 1,300 people (including Yours Truly) who submitted them online last year...prior to it being attached to NASA's TESS spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida." alt="A snapshot of a memory card that carries the exoplanet drawings of 1,300 people (including Yours Truly) who submitted them online last year...prior to it being attached to NASA's TESS spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_memory-card2_zpsmerdrdgu.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the memory card carrying the exoplanet drawings of 1,300 people (including Yours Truly) who submitted them online last year...after it was attached to NASA's TESS spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida." alt="A snapshot of the memory card carrying the exoplanet drawings of 1,300 people (including Yours Truly) who submitted them online last year...after it was attached to NASA's TESS spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_Par-Artwork_zpskb9lcjob.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of the 11 illustrations I created last year that are on the memory card now orbiting the Earth aboard NASA's TESS spacecraft." alt="A snapshot of the 11 illustrations I created last year that are on the memory card now orbiting the Earth aboard NASA's TESS spacecraft.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/tess-begins-its-historic-quest-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-705078697390170185Mon, 16 Apr 2018 22:18:00 +00002018-04-16T15:27:53.672-07:00SpaceXTESSThe Launch of TESS Has Been Delayed...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_SpaceX_F9_TESS_zpsuvporxnj.jpg" border=1 title="Initially targeted to lift off at 6:32 PM, EDT (3:32 PM, PDT) today, NASA's TESS satellite is now set to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this Wednesday (April 18), at 6:51 PM, EDT (3:51 PM, PDT)." alt="Initially targeted to lift off at 6:32 PM, EDT (3:32 PM, PDT) today, NASA's TESS satellite is now set to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this Wednesday (April 18), at 6:51 PM, EDT (3:51 PM, PDT)."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">SpaceX</span></font><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Today's initial launch attempt</span></b> for NASA's <b>Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</b> <i>(<b>TESS</b>)</i> from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida has been called off due to SpaceX requesting additional time to analyze data for the <b>Falcon 9</b> rocket's guidance, navigation and control systems. The next launch attempt is targeted for this Wednesday, April 18, at 6:51 PM, Eastern Daylight Time <i>(3:51 PM, Pacific Daylight Time)</i>. It's all good.<br /><br /> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_TESS</a> on Wednesday, April 18.</p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/985975566535831552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-launch-of-tess-has-been-delayed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6413586563457850706Sun, 15 Apr 2018 22:01:00 +00002018-04-16T15:32:43.270-07:00ExoplanetsJames Webb Space TelescopePress ReleasesSpaceXTESSTESS Update: T-Minus 1 Day Till Launch!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_exoplanet_artwork_zpsujfd1k5p.jpg" border=0 title="An artist's concept of an exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star HD 85512...in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sail)." alt="An artist's concept of an exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star HD 85512...in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sail)."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">ESO / M. Kornmesser</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA's <i>TESS</i> Mission Hopes to Find Exoplanets Beyond Our Solar System <i>(News Release - April 13)</i></b><br /><br /> The worlds orbiting other stars are called “exoplanets,” and they come in a wide variety of sizes, from gas giants larger than Jupiter to small, rocky planets about as big around as Earth or Mars. This artist’s impression shows an exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star HD 85512 in the southern constellation of Vela <i>(The Sail)</i>.<br /><br /> This rocky super-Earth is an illustration of the type of planets future telescopes, like NASA's <b>Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</b> <i>(<b>TESS</b>)</i> and <b>James Webb</b>, hope to find outside our solar system. TESS, slated to launch on April 16, 2018, is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, including those that could support life. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars near the Sun to search for transiting exoplanets. <br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/nasas-tess-mission-hopes-to-find-exoplanets-beyond-our-solar-system" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>NASA.Gov</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_Falcon9_002_zpseewredkj.jpg" border=0 title="SpaceX's Falcon 9 payload fairing that will enshroud NASA's TESS satellite is moved into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (where TESS awaits the new arrival) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 3, 2018." alt="SpaceX's Falcon 9 payload fairing that will enshroud NASA's TESS satellite is moved into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (where TESS awaits the new arrival) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 3, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Frankie Martin</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_F9fairing01_zpsaor55p0o.jpg" border=0 title="NASA's TESS satellite is about to be encapsulated by the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018." alt="NASA's TESS satellite is about to be encapsulated by the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Kim Shiflett</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_F9fairing02_zpsrsyubpnf.jpg" border=0 title="NASA's TESS satellite is about to be encapsulated by the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018." alt="NASA's TESS satellite is about to be encapsulated by the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Kim Shiflett</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_F9fairing03_zpsja6haaf7.jpg" border=0 title="Engineers prepare to encapsulate NASA's TESS satellite with the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018." alt="Engineers prepare to encapsulate NASA's TESS satellite with the payload fairing for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Kim Shiflett</span></font><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_TESS_Falcon9_001_zpsppnsd0kk.jpg" border=0 title="NASA's TESS satellite is now encapsulated within the payload fairing of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018." alt="NASA's TESS satellite is now encapsulated within the payload fairing of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on April 9, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Kim Shiflett</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/tess-update-t-minus-1-day-till-launch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6157577718536846511Sat, 14 Apr 2018 01:13:00 +00002018-04-16T13:07:55.832-07:00F-35Press ReleasesA Major Developmental Milestone Has Been Achieved for the Joint Strike Fighter...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_F35C_CF-2_001_zpswwxz5ttg.jpg" border=0 title="An F-35C Lightning II aircraft, designated 'CF-2', conducts the final test flight for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the F-35 program...on April 11, 2018." alt="An F-35C Lightning II aircraft, designated 'CF-2', conducts the final test flight for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the F-35 program...on April 11, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">Lockheed Martin</span></font><br /><br /> <b><i>F-35</i> Completes Most Comprehensive Flight Test Program in Aviation History <i>(Press Release - April 12)</i></b><br /><br /> <b>Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. --</b> The <b>F-35</b> program has accomplished the final developmental test flight of the System Development and Demonstration <i>(SDD)</i> phase of the program.<br /><br /> "Completing F-35 SDD flight test is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from the joint government and industry team," said Vice Adm. Mat Winter, F-35 Program Executive Officer. "Since the first flight of <b>AA-1</b> in 2006, the developmental flight test program has operated for more than 11 years mishap-free, conducting more than 9,200 sorties, accumulating over 17,000 flight hours, and executing more than 65,000 test points to verify the design, durability, software, sensors, weapons capability and performance for all three F-35 variants. Congratulations to our F-35 Test Team and the broader F-35 Enterprise for delivering this new powerful and decisive capability to the warfighter."<br /><br /> The final SDD flight occurred April 11 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland., when Navy test aircraft <b>CF-2</b> completed a mission to collect loads data while carrying external 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions <i>(JDAM)</i> and AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles.<br /><br /> From flight sciences to mission systems testing, the critical work completed by F-35 test teams cleared the way for the Block 3F capability to be delivered to the operational warfighter. More than 1,000 SDD flight test engineers, maintainers, pilots and support personnel took the three variants of the F-35 to their full flight envelope to test aircraft performance and flying qualities. The test team conducted six at-sea detachments and performed more than 1,500 vertical landing tests on the F-35B variant. The developmental flight test team completed 183 Weapon Separation Tests; 46 Weapons Delivery Accuracy tests; 33 Mission Effectiveness tests, which included numerous multi-ship missions of up to eight F-35s against advanced threats.<br /><br /> "The F-35 flight test program represents the most comprehensive, rigorous and the safest developmental flight test program in aviation history," said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. "The joint government and industry team demonstrated exceptional collaboration and expertise, and the results have given the men and women who fly the F-35 great confidence in its transformational capability."<br /><br /> Developmental flight test is a key component of the F-35 program's SDD phase, which will formally be completed following an Operational Test and Evaluation and a Department of Defense decision to go into full-rate aircraft production.<br /><br /> While SDD required flight test is now complete, F-35 flight testing continues in support of phased capability improvements and modernization of the F-35 air system. This effort is part of the Joint Program Office's Continuous Capability Development and Delivery <i>(C2D2)</i> framework, which will provide timely, affordable incremental warfighting capability improvements to maintain joint air dominance against evolving threats to the United States and its allies.<br /><br /> With stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity and range, the F-35 is the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft ever built. More than a fighter jet, the F-35's ability to collect, analyze and share data is a powerful force multiplier that enhances all airborne, surface and ground-based assets in the battlespace and enables men and women in uniform to execute their mission and return home safe.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2018-04-12-F-35-Completes-Most-Comprehensive-Flight-Test-Program-in-Aviation-History" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Lockheed Martin</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_F35C_CF-2_002_zpso2os4pmh.jpg" border=0 title="The F-35C CF-2 aircraft completes the final test flight for the SDD phase of the F-35 program...on April 11, 2018." alt="The F-35C CF-2 aircraft completes the final test flight for the SDD phase of the F-35 program...on April 11, 2018."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color: green;">Lockheed Martin</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-major-developmental-milestone-has.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6949225783126833136Fri, 13 Apr 2018 05:37:00 +00002018-04-21T21:02:48.014-07:00Caribbean CruiseDSLRFloridaPhotos of the DayPhotos of the Day: Bidding Adieu to Miami...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_001_zpspzmz9dir.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018." alt="A snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018."><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">Just thought I'd share</span></b> these pics that I took when I departed from Miami <a href="https://parman.blogspot.com/2018/03/photos-of-day-another-caribbean-cruise.html" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='31 MARCH 2018 Journal Entry'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>on an 11-day cruise</b></u></font></a> to Central America one month ago today. These images were taken with my Nikon D3300 DSLR camera as the <b>Norwegian Jade</b>—the passenger ship I sailed on for this voyage—made her way from the Port of Miami's cruise terminal to the open sea on March 12. Needless to say, Miami is one great-looking city! <i>Of course,</i> when I go back to Florida <i>(either late next year or in early 2020 to hopefully see NASA's <b>Space Launch System</b> out on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, prepping for its maiden flight on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploration_Mission_1" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='Exploration Mission 1 Mission Page'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>Exploration Mission-1</b></u></font></a>)</i>, knock on wood, it will once again be Orlando <i>(the city I flew to from Los Angeles when I last visited Cape Canaveral <a href="https://parman.blogspot.com/2009/02/im-back-i-was-gonna-post-blog-after-i.html" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='11 FEBRUARY 2009 Journal Entry'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>in early 2009</b></u></font></a>)</i> that I venture to in the Sunshine State to begin my trip. <i>Again,</i> knock on wood... Anyways, that's all I have to say for now. Happy Thursday!<br /><br /> LINK: <a onmouseover="window.status='PHOTOS OF MY CRUISE TO CENTRAL AMERICA'; return true" href="http://www.rich-parno.com/aa_cruise01.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:red;"><u><b>Additional photos I took on my cruise to Central America</b></u></span></a><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_002_zpsbaced3wj.jpg" border=0 title="Another snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018." alt="Another snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_003_zpsvcvrzh7b.jpg" border=0 title="A third snapshot of Miami—and another Norwegian Cruise Line ship—as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018." alt="A third snapshot of Miami—and another Norwegian Cruise Line ship—as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_004_zpsipzozud0.jpg" border=0 title="An armed U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat escorts the Norwegian Jade as she heads out to the open sea on March 12, 2018." alt="An armed U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat escorts the Norwegian Jade as she heads out to the open sea on March 12, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_005_zpsj1jzwwp3.jpg" border=0 title="Another snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018." alt="Another snapshot of Miami as seen from aboard the Norwegian Jade on March 12, 2018."><br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_Miami_006_zpsmxplyk8r.jpg" border=0 title="An overexposed snapshot of me posing with the Miami skyline as the Norwegian Jade departs for Central America...on March 12, 2018." alt="An overexposed snapshot of me posing with the Miami skyline as the Norwegian Jade departs for Central America...on March 12, 2018.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/photos-of-day-bidding-adieu-to-miami.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6365394055467699869Sat, 07 Apr 2018 00:59:00 +00002018-04-09T18:30:02.345-07:00Press ReleasesSolar Probe PlusSOLAR PROBE PLUS Arrives on the Space Coast for Launch Preparation...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_ParkerSolarProbe001_zpsdhagro32.jpg" border=0 title="In Titusville, Florida, NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft—formerly known as Solar Probe Plus—is unloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft before being transported to Astrotech Space Operations for launch preparation...on April 3, 2018." alt="In Titusville, Florida, NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft—formerly known as Solar Probe Plus—is unloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft before being transported to Astrotech Space Operations for launch preparation...on April 3, 2018."><br /><font size="1"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA’s Mission to Touch the Sun Arrives in the Sunshine State <i>(News Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA’s <b>Parker Solar Probe</b> has arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for its launch to the Sun, scheduled for July 31, 2018.<br /><br /> In the middle of the night on April 2, the spacecraft was driven from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to nearby Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. From there, it was flown by the United States Air Force’s 436th Airlift Wing to Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, where it arrived at 10:40 a.m. EDT. It was then transported a short distance to Astrotech Space Operations, also in Titusville, where it will continue testing, and eventually undergo final assembly and mating to the third stage of the <b>Delta IV Heavy</b> launch vehicle.<br /><br /> Parker Solar Probe is humanity’s first mission to the Sun. After launch, it will orbit directly through the solar atmosphere – the corona – closer to the surface than any human-made object has ever gone. While facing brutal heat and radiation, the mission will reveal fundamental science behind what drives the solar wind, the constant outpouring of material from the Sun that shapes planetary atmospheres and affects space weather near Earth.<br /><br /> “Parker Solar Probe and the team received a smooth ride from the Air Force <b>C-17</b> crew from the 436th,” said Andy Driesman, Parker Solar Probe project manager from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “This is the second most important flight Parker Solar Probe will make, and we’re excited to be safely in Florida and continuing pre-launch work on the spacecraft.”<br /><br /> At Astrotech, Parker Solar Probe was taken to a clean room and removed from its protective shipping container on Wednesday, April 4. The spacecraft then began a series of tests to verify that it had safely made the journey to Florida. For the next several months, the spacecraft will undergo comprehensive testing; just prior to being fueled, one of the most critical elements of the spacecraft, the thermal protection system <i>(TPS)</i>, or heat shield, will be installed. The TPS is the breakthrough technology that will allow Parker Solar Probe to survive the temperatures in the Sun’s corona, just 3.8 million miles from the surface of our star.<br /><br /> “There are many milestones to come for Parker Solar Probe and the amazing team of men and women who have worked so diligently to make this mission a reality,” said Driesman. “The installation of the TPS will be our final major step before encapsulation and integration onto the launch vehicle.”<br /><br /> Parker Solar Probe will be launched from Launch Complex-37 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at approximately 4 a.m. EDT on July 31, 2018, and is repeated each day <i>(at slightly earlier times)</i> through August 19.<br /><br /> Throughout its seven-year mission, Parker Solar Probe will explore the Sun's outer atmosphere and make critical observations to answer decades-old questions about the physics of stars. Its data will also be useful in improving forecasts of major eruptions on the Sun and the subsequent space weather events that impact technology on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space. The mission is named for University of Chicago Professor Emeritus Eugene N. Parker, whose profound insights into solar physics and processes have guided the discipline. It is the first NASA mission named for a living individual.<br /><br /> Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living With a Star Program to explore aspects of the connected Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. Living With a Star is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Johns Hopkins APL designed, built, and manages the mission for NASA. Instrument teams are led by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.; Princeton University in New Jersey; and the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<br /><br /> United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Delta IV launch service for Parker Solar Probe. NASA’s Launch Services Program <i>(LSP)</i>, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the agency’s efforts to commercially provide rockets for specific missions. LSP also directs the overall launch effort including overseeing development and integration of the rocket with the spacecraft.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><i><b>Source:</b> <a href="http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Show-Article.php?articleID=72" target="_blank"><span style="color: grey;"><u><b>Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory</b></u></span></a></i></span><br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_ParkerSolarProbe002_zpsn5168i5s.jpg" border=0 title="After arriving in Titusville, Florida on April 3, 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft is brought to Astrotech Space Operations to undergo preparations for its July 31 launch to the Sun." alt="After arriving in Titusville, Florida on April 3, 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft is brought to Astrotech Space Operations to undergo preparations for its July 31 launch to the Sun."><br /><font size="1"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Ed Whitman</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/solar-probe-plus-arrives-on-space-coast.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-6953752086698400633Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:11:00 +00002018-04-05T23:16:34.750-07:00BepiColomboSolar Probe PlusSend Your Name to Mercury!<a onmouseover="window.status='Send your name to the planet Mercury on the BepiColombo mission'; return true" href="http://isas-info.jp/mmo/en/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_JAXA_MMO_001_zpsbnwictee.jpg" border=1 title="An artist's concept of JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter studying the planet Mercury." alt="An artist's concept of JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter studying the planet Mercury."></a><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">JAXA</span></font><br /><br /> <b><span style="color:yellow;">The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency <i>(JAXA)</i></span></b> is currently holding a PR campaign where not only can you submit a name that might be chosen as the official moniker of its Mercury-bound spacecraft, the <b>Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter</b> <i>(<b>MMO</b>)</i>, but you can also send your own name and a personal message that will be placed on a memory card aboard the space probe before it launches to the barren world six months from now. Click on the link below to take part in this exciting project:<br /><br /> <a onmouseover="window.status='Send your name to the planet Mercury on the BepiColombo mission'; return true" href="http://isas-info.jp/mmo/en/" target="_blank"><span style="color:red;"><u><b>Send your name and a message to the planet Mercury</b></u></span></a><br /><br /> The MMO is Japan's contribution to the European Space Agency's <b>BepiColombo</b> mission. Along with Europe's <b>Mercury Planetary Orbiter</b>, the MMO will launch to Mercury via an <b>Ariane 5</b> rocket from French Guiana this October...and arrive at the closest planet to our Sun in December 2025. The deadline to submit an official name for MMO <i>(I chose <b>Larunda</b> from Roman mythology as my submission)</i> and provide your own name and message is this Monday, April 9 at 10:00 AM, Japan Time <i>(which would be Sunday, April 8 at 6 PM, Pacific Daylight Time, here in California)</i>.<br /><br /> So hurry up and click on the link above <i>(or the images above and below)</i> to leave your own mark on Japan's Mercury-bound spacecraft! And while you're at it, <a href="http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/Name-to-Sun/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="window.status='Send your name towards the Sun on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft'; return true"><font color="gray"><u><b>click on this link</b></u></font></a> to send your name towards the Sun itself as well...courtesy of NASA's <b>Parker Solar Probe</b> <i>(which launches in July)</i>. That is all.<br /><br /> <a onmouseover="window.status='Send your name to the planet Mercury on the BepiColombo mission'; return true" href="http://isas-info.jp/mmo/en/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_JAXA_MMO_002_zpslnejg2u7.jpg" border=1 title="An image of JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, and a red circle denoting where the memory card containing your name and personal message will be installed on the spacecraft." alt="An image of JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, and a red circle denoting where the memory card containing your name and personal message will be installed on the spacecraft."></a><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">JAXA</span></font>http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/send-your-name-to-mercury.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1160836.post-3688684814910232846Wed, 04 Apr 2018 05:35:00 +00002018-04-03T22:36:53.601-07:00NASA SocialPress ReleasesNASA Selects a Contractor to Build Its Next Generation X-Plane...<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_NASA_QueSST_Xplane_zpsodsbhq4e.jpg" border=0 title="An artist's concept of NASA's QueSST X-plane soaring high in the sky." alt="An artist's concept of NASA's QueSST X-plane soaring high in the sky."><br /><font size="2"><span style="color:green;">NASA / Lockheed Martin</span></font><br /><br /> <b>NASA Awards Contract to Build Quieter Supersonic Aircraft <i>(Press Release)</i></b><br /><br /> NASA has taken another step toward re-introducing supersonic flight with the award Tuesday of a contract for the design, building and testing of a supersonic aircraft that reduces a sonic boom to a gentle thump.<br /><br /> Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company of Palmdale, California, was selected for the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration contract, a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract valued at $247.5 million. Work under the contract began April 2 and runs through Dec. 31, 2021.<br /><br /> Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will complete the design and fabrication of an experimental aircraft, known as an X-plane, which will cruise at 55,000 feet at a speed of about 940 mph and create a sound about as loud as a car door closing, 75 Perceived Level decibel <i>(PLdB)</i>, instead of a sonic boom.<br /><br /> Once NASA accepts the aircraft from the contractor in late 2021, the agency will perform additional flight tests to prove the quiet supersonic technology works as designed, aircraft performance is robust, and it’s safe to operate in the National Airspace System.<br /><br /> Beginning in mid-2022, NASA will fly the X-plane over select U.S. cities and collect data about community responses to the flights. This data set will be provided to U.S. and international regulators for their use in considering new sound-based rules regarding supersonic flight over land, which could enable new commercial cargo and passenger markets in faster-than-sound air travel.<br /><br />****<br /><br /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/punkboi4/main4_NASA_XPlane_QueSST_zpstcrkdm9c.jpg" border=0 title="A snapshot I took of a small replica of the QueSST X-plane...on display during a NASA Social event at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, on May 31, 2016." alt="A snapshot I took of a small replica of the QueSST X-plane...on display during a NASA Social event at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, on May 31, 2016.">http://parman.blogspot.com/2018/04/nasa-selects-contractor-to-build-its.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0